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U.S. soldiers attacked a Piegan Blackfeet village in Montana, killing around 200 people, many of them women and children. The attack shocked the public and sparked criticism of the US Army's brutal tactics. -
A group of buffalo hunters at an outpost in Texas fought off an attack by hundreds of Comanche and Cheyenne warriors led by Quanah Parker. The hunters' powerful rifles helped them survive the siege. -
The Red River War began as the US Army launched campaigns to remove Southern Plains tribes from the Texas Panhandle. It involved multiple battles and aimed to force Native Americans onto reservations. -
Quanah Parker, last chief of the Comanche, surrendered to U.S. forces, marking the end of large-scale Native resistance in the Southern Plains. He later became a leader in helping his people adapt to reservation life. -
Tensions over the Black Hills gold rush led to the U.S. launching a major campaign against the Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne. This series of battles included some of the most famous conflicts of the Indian Wars. -
General Crook’s troops clashed with Lakota and Cheyenne warriors under Crazy Horse. Although technically a draw, it forced Crook to retreat and indirectly helped set up the U.S. defeat at Little Bighorn. -
Also known as Custer’s Last Stand, this battle saw the complete defeat of the 7th Cavalry by a coalition of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors. It was a temporary victory that fueled a harsher U.S. response. -
The Nez Perce, led by Chief Joseph, resisted forced relocation from Oregon to Idaho. Their journey involved several battles and a 1,200-mile retreat toward Canada. -
U.S. troops surprised a Nez Perce camp in Montana, killing women and children. The tribe counterattacked and escaped, but the battle weakened them significantly. -
Just 40 miles from the Canadian border, Chief Joseph surrendered. He famously said, "I will fight no more forever," marking the end of Nez Perce resistance. -
Conflict erupted after Indian agent Nathan Meeker attempted to forcibly assimilate the Ute people. Meeker and his staff were killed, leading to U.S. military retaliation and the Ute relocation to Utah. -
Led by Geronimo, Apache groups continued to resist U.S. and Mexican forces in the Southwest. The guerrilla warfare made the Apache one of the last tribes to surrender, -
Geronimo surrendered to General Miles in Arizona after years of resistance. He was sent to Florida as a prisoner of war, ending major armed Native resistance in the West. -
The Dawes Act aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal land into individual plots. It led to a massive loss of Native land and disrupted tribal unity. -
The Ghost Dance religious movement spread among Plains tribes, promising a future where whites would vanish and buffalo would return. The U.S. saw it as a threat and cracked down on it. -
U.S. troops killed around 300 Lakota, including women and children, at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. This marked the tragic end of the Indian Wars era.